The Next Phase

Now that my daughter is a senior in high school and preparing to leave for college in the fall, we are getting the “Empty Nest” question quite regularly. “What are you going to do with all your free time next year?” Like many of you, I feel like my days right now are so full that I can’t keep up and I can never get everything done that I want, or need to, get done. So, my first answer is, “breathe for a second, then maybe cry a little.”

That’s not a very good response. The truth is, I have a tendency to fill empty moments pretty easily. I will write, I will grow my college counseling business, I will work on projects I’ve been trying to get around to for years. I will definltely start something new. If I know what’s good for me, I will work out more. But the thing I am most looking forward to in the next phase is spending a little more time with my honey. As anyone with kids knows, their needs can be all encompassing. And, believe me, I know they will still need us (I already have one in college and see how that progresses). But on the day-to-day, it will be lovely to spend more of that time together that my husband and I enjoyed so much in our earlier years of marriage.

I would love for a Sunday morning to roll around and we wake up and say, “What do you want to do today?” I can’t remember the last time that happened. For real. I’ve never liked the term “empty nest.” It sounds depressing. I’m a glass (nest?)-half-full kind of girl. Sure, both kids will be out of the house but our home never feels empty or quiet (maybe it’s our mouthy pets). We are always bustling, trying to be active, learning something new, and staying engaged with our community.

That’s the long way to getting to the answer of what I will do with all my time. Many wonderful things, hopefully. And wishing the same for my children. Don’t get me wrong, I will miss them so much, and at times that will feel excruciating. But, as far as I’m concerned, Jason and I are just two kids kicking off the next big thing, and I love it.